The Frostburg State University Department of Music will present the Lyra Ensemble as part of its Woodwind Quartet-a-Month series on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Recital Hall of FSUâ€™s Performing Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Members of the ensemble are Dr. Kristin Bacchiocchi-Stewart, on flute, alto flute and piccolo; Ellen Fisher-Deerberg, on flute and bass flute; Anna Meyer, on flute and piccolo; and Dr. Elivi Varga, on flute.

The quartet will begin with â€śSinfoniaâ€ť from â€śThe Marriage of Figaroâ€ť by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This will be followed by five modern pieces, beginning with â€śAn Gaelic Tiodhlacâ€ť (â€śA Gaelic Offeringâ€ť) by Catherine McMichael, which consists of four Gaelic pieces in traditional style â€“ rowdy, raw and rambunctious when fast, and achingly personal when slow. The ensemble will then perform â€śFour â€™Scapesâ€ť by Cynthia Folio, consisting of â€śCityscape,â€ť â€śSeascape,â€ť â€śLandscapeâ€ť and â€śEscapeâ€ť and â€śTrois PiĂ¨ces pour quatre FlĂ»tes en Utâ€ť by EugĂ¨ne Bozza, a French contemporary composer and violinist and a prolific composer of chamber music for wind instruments.

After intermission, the group will continue with â€śUrban Ragasâ€ť by Till Maclvor Meyn, which is reminiscent of ragas, the scales and modes of Indian music; â€śQuatuor de FlĂ»tesâ€ť by Jean-Michel Damase; and â€śSteeley Pauseâ€ť by Jennifer Higdon.

Bacchiocchi-Stewart is the owner and founder of The Flute Academy in Bergen County, N.J. She is principal flute with the Ridgewood Concert Band. Bacchiocchi-Stewart has served on the faculties of Union College, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, FSU, Ithaca College and Schenectady County Community College. She teaches for the Marina Piccinini International Summer Master Classes at Peabody each summer.

Fisher-Deerberg is a well-respected freelance artist in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has performed in a wide variety of instrumental ensembles in the U.S. and Germany. She has taught flute for more than 28 years and has been on the faculty of Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, N.J., since 2005. Fisher-Deerberg is the principal flutist of the Bravura Philharmonic Orchestra.

Meyer recently took second place in the 2015 Myrna Brown Competition in Dallas and is currently a listed substitute for many regional orchestras, including the Delaware Symphony, Opera Philadelphia and the Allentown Symphony. She also maintains a private studio out of her home. She is a founding member of the Lyra Ensemble.

Varga performs as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestra member throughout the Philadelphia area. She teaches flute at Settlement Music School, Community College of Philadelphia and Friendsâ€™ Central School and maintains a private flute studio. Vargaâ€™s recently released CD, â€śSilver Tunes: Music for Flute and Organ,â€ť includes world-premiere recordings of music by American composers Lowell Liebermann and Augusta Read Thomas. Her articles on music have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer and elsewhere.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.